This building dating back to the 1890s, and the adjacent structures on the west side, began as houses of the kind lived in by diggers and traders in the early mining days. The two houses, built of clay bricks, had pitched roofs of corrugated iron. Both structures had verandahs facing onto Pritchard Street, offering opportunities for house-dwellers to observe and interact with passers-by. The structures provide a memory of the social history of early Johannesburg and architecture typical of the time.